One of these things is not like the other
by BlueberryKittyFanfics
Summary: They are monsters with a deep thirst for blood, a thirst they will do anything to quench. Their beauty shrouds the ruthless, hungry beast in the shadows, as it waits for the right moment to strike. She thought she was safe from them, trapped in the leather bound cage of story books. How long can she go on believing one of them isn't like the others?
1. Chapter 1

Shizuka was bored out of her mind, she never really understood why anyone would go to school during the evening. She looked at her watch, the only sensible place to be at a time like this was in bed and fast asleep. Hayate sat on her left towards the window, aimlessly twirling his pen in his hand. While Ayato was in the back monopolizing his girlfriend, Yui. At least, they seemed to be boyfriend and girlfriend….Yui didn't actually confirm this rumor herself. Ran sat towards the front of the class, she seemed to be paying more attention to what the teacher was saying. Shizuka stared at her watch, watching the minutes tick by. She wondered if he was at school today, his other brothers certainly were. One of which was behind her making soft, slurping noises (she really didn't want to know what was going on behind her). Kanato sat by the window, spending the entire lesson staring at his creepy teddy bear. Nobody knew why he carried it around, nobody dared to ask. When class was finished, everyone packed up their things and made their way to their next class. Shizuka clumsily bumped into something on her way out, she looked up to find…shit, she thought. Green eyes framed by a red fringe glared down at her, "make some room for yours truly, bitch" he snarled shoving her aside.

"Who the fuck does he think he is?" Hayate muttered as Ayato walked out of the classroom, towing Yui along with him. In the hallway she saw Raito, with that usual, perverted smirk on his face. As Ran and Shizuka walked out of the classroom, they exchanged worried glances before walking away. Despite what she thought about the Sakamaki brothers in her year group, there was one that Shizuka had her eye on. She made her way to the music room, hoping to catch a glimpse of him before her next class. There he was…sleeping peacefully on the cold wooden floor. Shizuka looked through the small window in the classroom door, staring at the figure sprawled out on the floor. She admired his golden blonde hair framing his pale face. His eyes and his thin lips where shut as he snored softly. Shuu Sakamaki was one year above her, he'd been held back before because he'd failed his exams in the past. He never really spoke to anybody, he kept to himself most of the time. Shizuka was hoping that he was different compared to his other brothers. Suddenly Shizuka saw his eyes begin to open, his blue eyes stood out against his translucent skin and blonde hair. He turned his head and looked directly at Shizuka, who was still watching him through the window in the door. she was rooted to the spot, she felt her heart pounding violently in her chest. She wasn't sure if she should go inside to greet him or run away without looking back. There was a long awkward silence, before Shuu slowly got up and walked towards the door. Shizuka stood there and stared up at him, unable to speak.

"What do you want?" he groaned, Shizuka didn't answer and instead stared at the floor. "Well you come here almost every day, surely there must be a reason.". He lowered his face to hers until they were barely an inch apart, he looked her straight in the eyes expecting an answer. Shizuka didn't know how to answer, she was pretty sure Shuu didn't notice her or think of her. She felt like the cliched romantic comedy heroine who wants to be noticed by the older boy in school. Before she could say anything a voice sliced through their conversation, possibly the last voice she wanted to hear.

"Well well what do we have here? A little whore has a crush on my older brother?", Raito appeared out of nowhere walking towards them. Shizuka's fists was clenched until her knuckles were white, ready to punch him in the face if he so much as laid a finger on her.

"If you have nothing to say than please stop pestering me." With that, he slowly walked away without looking back at her. Shizuka sighed in defeat, it wasn't as if he noticed her in the past anyways.

"Cheer up my little whore, you could always have some fun with me...". Chills weaved their way down her spine at the thought of having any kind of "fun" with Raito. As she tried to walk away from him, he grabbed her by the wrist. His hand was a cold, tight handcuff that would bite her wrists when she struggled to free it. His usual perverted smile gleaming from under his hat, there was only one way out of this she thought. 'Everything has a neck and a groin' her mother once said. In one swift motion she kicked him, aiming for his groin. He was pushed back against the wall, but he didn't double up in pain like most guys would. His expression didn't change, except a faint blush was rising in his cheeks. Shizuka took this opportunity to run away, as fast as her legs would carry her. She could feel his eyes following her as she ran away. She was hoping that her classroom would act as a safe heaven, when she finally reached her classroom she quickly sat down in the nearest chair. Shizuka tried to take in what just happened, she felt the chill around her wrist left behind by his unnaturally cold skin. She couldn't understand what happened just now, did he actually...enjoy that? A soft, kinda voice pulled her from her thoughts.

"Shizuka, are you alright? You look really pale" She looked up to see Ran, who had taken the seat in front of her. Her eyes were wide with worry and concern.

"You just seem to disappear between classes, we're always wondering where you run off to." Hayate said, taking the seat next to her. "So where did you run off to?" before she could answer, out of the corner of her eye she saw Kanato sitting by the window talking to his teddy bear. There really was no escaping them, she didn't want to imagine what kinds of sexual perversions the other brothers had. Maybe Shuu was different from the others, but right now the thought of Shuu made her insides sink.


	2. Chapter 2

Shizuka walked out of the school building and tried to make her way home. She noticed the sleek, black limousine parked outside the school gates. The Sakamaki brothers and Yui were all driven to and from school. No one really knew why she lived with them (or anything else about her for that matter). The other students filed out of the school talking amongst themselves, Hayate and Ran amongst them walking hand in hand out of school. Shizuka's apartment was within walking distance of the school, she's lived there alone ever since her parents died in a fire a couple years ago. She walked out of the school and towards where the limousine was parked, as Yui and Ayato entered the car. That was when she saw through the backseat window, she could see Raito leering at her as she walked past. "Cheer up my little whore, you could always have some fun with me...", his words echoed in her mind. She turned away from him only to bump into someone as she tried to get away. A boy, taller than Shuu with navy blue hair towered over her. His amethyst eyes glared down at her through his glasses. He elegantly raised a white gloved hand and pushed them up his thin, sharp nose.

"People these days have such deplorable manners" he remarked, glaring down at her.

"Sorry, your highness" she muttered sarcastically, so it seemed that all of the brothers were assholes.

"Come along Shuu" he said curtly as he entered the limousine. Shizuka stared defiantly after him, were all of the Sakamaki brothers like this? She thought to herself.

"If you're smart, you would stay away from us" A low, hard voice warned her.

"At least you're not like the others" Shizuka confessed, smiling sincerely up at him.

"Are all mortals so foolish? Or is it just you and Yui?" he chuckled, it was one of the few times she'd seen him smile, her own smile faded into a look of confusion. "Anyways, I'd better be going now. Since I highly doubt you're going to heed my advice, just know that I warned you".

"Warn me about what? How are you anything like your brothers?...and did you just call me a mortal?!" Shizuka's questions escaping her lips one by one like bullets, only do have none of them answered.

"Such a troublesome girl" he remarked as he got in the car, which drove off leaving Shizuka dazed and confused. As the car drove away is began to rain, she loved the rain even though it made her thick, wavy hair a complete mess. She walked home through the rain, not caring that her clothes were soaked through. She couldn't take her mind off the brief conversation that had just happened. She arrived at the small apartment building, the floor was already damp from the feet of other tenants that came in. She took the elevator upstairs, her wet clothes clung uncomfortably to her figure. Her wet, unruly hair was dripping all over the floor. As she waited for the elevator to reach her floor her phone rang. She was amazed it still worked after walking through the wet, rainy weather. She pulled her phone out of her bag, Hayate's name appeared and her ringtone chimed a cheerful tune.

"Hello?"

"Hey, what was going on between you and Shuu?" Hayate asked, Shizuka rolled her eyes. The last thing she wanted to do was talk about what happened. She just wanted to lie down on her bed and curl up with a good book.

"It's nothing," she explained, coming out of the elevator. "Why? Are you jealous?" she asked jokingly.

"Nope, you know Ran's the only girl for me." he laughed.

"Because you know no one else will have you" she joked, trying to change the subject.

"Ouch!" He replied, "Seriously though, if he's anything like his brothers...". Shizuka sighed in annoyance, she really did not want to talk about that. Hayate was like a brother to her, but sometimes he was the annoying, overprotective type.

"Hayate I have to go, I'll talk to you tomorrow okay?"

"Alright, I'm just saying be careful" he told her before she hung up.

"'Be careful', 'stay away', what is everyone so worried about?" She asked herself before collapsing on her bed. She could take care of herself just fine, she didn't need Hayate or even Shuu telling her this. Shizuka took a shower and changed into some dry clothes, a black and red shirt and a pair of shorts. She spent the rest of the evening lying on her bed, listening to music and reading. She waited for sleep to hold her in a warm, calming embrace. She waited, eventually drifted into a peaceful slumber. She had a feeling that her nights of peaceful sleep were numbered.

Meanwhile in a tall, dark and vast mansion, the slow peaceful tune of a violin could be heard. As a boy lay on his bed, playing it effortlessly and beautifully. Undisturbed and uninterrupted he played, without a care in the world. 'You're not like the others' she had told him, if she's smart enough she would stay away. If she was foolish enough to keep pursuing, he would prove to her just how wrong she was. How he and all his brothers were all more frightening than she could've ever imagined. If this mortal girl was so sure that he was so different from his brothers...Then he will give her every reason to fear him the most.


	3. Chapter 3

"A perfectly good sleep ruined by feeling unwell the next morning" Shizuka thought as she made her way to the nurses office. Ran guided her to the nurses office, in much the same way a soldier led another to safety. "I'm fine, it's probably just a cold", she did fall asleep with wet hair the night before.

"I know, I just need an excuse to get out of class" Ran muttered, "that guy with the teddy bear is fucking creepy." She looked behind her to see if anyone was listening, the hallway was mostly empty and everyone was in class. She continued, "and I don't know how that blonde girl can stand them, especially 'yours truly' as he likes to call himself.". They reached the nurses office, but it was empty. Shizuka lay down on the bed while Ran searched for cold medicine in the drawers. She handed Shizuka the pills and a paper cup of water. Ran watched as Shizuka swallowed the pills, "do you think the nurse will mind that we've taken them out of the cabinet?"

"I think it doesn't matter at this point, anyways it's only one dose" Shizuka said lying down on the bed. Ran left, and Shizuka began to drift away once more. Moments later she heard the door open, followed by the sound of someone sitting down on the bed next to her. She did bother looking over to see who it was, and tried to go back to sleep. What disturbed this sleep would be one of the most disturbing things she'd ever see. She heard someone else sitting on the bed, oddly enough without hearing another person come in. What followed were voices, clearly they assumed she was in a deep sleep.

"T-there's someone else here" a quiet, dainty voice trembled

"Lie down, I've been thirsty all day" a deeper voice snarled. What followed next, sounded like someone biting into something. Loud slurping noises followed, along the sound of the softer voice yelping. Now Shizuka didn't even dare look up, wishing they would just go somewhere else (preferably somewhere more private).

"Guys get a room," Shizuka groaned trying to go back to sleep, and hoping they will go away.

"Ayato..." The dainty one whispered, Shizuka's shot open...facing the bed next to her. Yui's pink eyes widened in fear, she tried to push Ayato of of her. He raised his head and briefly looked over and Shizuka. His green eyes were no long that of an arrogant school boy, but that of a predator enjoying his prey. A stream of crimson liquid was trailing down the side of his mouth, blood she realized. Ayato's mouth reached for the other side of Yui's neck, Shizuka watched in horror as she saw he had fangs that sunk into her shoulder. Shizuka fell off the bed trying to get away, Ayato was unfazed and Yui's eyes were glazing over. Shizuka was too stunned to get up, crawling across the floor of the nurse's office. She reached for the door only for it to be opened, with Reiji glaring down at her once more.

"Ayato, how many times do I have to tell you to take these activities to your room?" He asked, with his usual disapproving scowl. "As for you..." he said looking down at Shizuka on all fours, his foot stepped on of her hands clamping it to the floor. Shizuka let out a yelp of her own, "if you utter a word of what you saw here...you won't live to see another sunrise." His voice was low and dangerous as he said this, his foot clamped down harder on her hand.

"W-what are you?" she stammered, trying to pull her hand free. Reiji released her foot and walked away as he muttered,  
"Surely even a foolish mortal like you can figure it out." As Shizuka tried to nurse her hand, his words echoed throughout the hall. She looked over at the bed only to find Ayato gone and Yui sitting up on the bed. Shizuka stumbled to her feet, her eyes fell on the marks on Yui's shoulder. Both of them were too shocked to utter a single word, Yui's hand pointlessly reached up to cover them. Nether of them dared break the long silence between them, Shizuka leaned against the door frame trying to take in what she had just seen.

"I'll tell you" Yui mumbled, "Who they are and why I'm here."

"Everyone knows who they are," Shizuka said trying to regain her composer. "What I'm wondering is what they are and what the fuck did I just see?" Yui unsteadily got to her feet, and stumbled over to the nurse's desk. She wrote something down on a piece of paper before handing it to her.

"Come to this address, I'll explain everything and make sure no one sees you come in." Yui gave her a weak smile as she too tried to regain her composer. Shizuka stared for a moment at the piece of paper, she had some idea of what she had just seen. She just didn't want to be told that she was right. That all this time she had been living amongst creatures who only existed in stories. Everyone knew the Sakamaki brothers were among the wealthiest students in the school, and that their family had lived in that mansion for generations. Shizuka walked back to class, reading the address written on the piece of paper. As well as the address, Yui had also written 'meet me in the chapel, I'll tell you everything you need to know'. On her way to class she passed the music room like she had done the other day. Through the window she could see a full moon, shining through the dark nighttime clouds. A boy that sat by the window looked over at her, blue eyes staring intently into her brown ones. Shuu seemed more gentle, harmless even. He wouldn't do to her what Ayato did to Yui...right? Shuu could only smirk in response,

"Don't say I didn't warn you," he thought as he looked up at the moon.


	4. Chapter 4

Shizuka stood outside the gates of the mansion, behind the gates she saw the tall, dark and vast mansion. She felt hesitant about coming here, she didn't want to imagine what they would do if they caught her here. Shizuka gently pushed the gate open, trying to make as little noise as she could. She looked up at the old house, ivy worked it's way up the building. A large fountain stood at the center of the front courtyard. She walked around the old house until she saw a smaller building behind it. Most likely this was the chapel that Yui was referring to in her note. She made sure to tread carefully, careful to make sure nobody was following her. Although she was sure that someone was watching her from a distance. She reached the chapel, and quietly knocked on the door. The door opened slightly, through the crack in the door Shizuka saw an eye framed by a fringe of blonde hair. The door opened wider, Yui reached out grabbing Shizuka's arm. Yui pulled her inside and then slammed the door shut behind her. "Did anyone see you come in?" Yui asked

"No" Shizuka answered, looking around the chapel. "Aren't they going to come in here?"

"No, they don't like to come in here." Yui told her

"So you said you were going to explain everything to me, why?" Shizuka asked suspiciously.

"I felt like not telling you would put you in danger" She explained, "I don't want that to happen, to anyone."

"So who or what are they?", a long pause followed this question. Yui knew the answer but couldn't bring herself to say it in front of anyone else.

"Vampires" she said breaking the silence, "you probably don't believe me anyway".

"Honestly, given what I saw yesterday I don't know what to believe." Shizuka said, "So how are you mixed up in all this?". Yui pushed her hair aside, revealing the fang marks on her neck. They were a clear but, unspoken answer. She was their prey, their food, and the thought was making Shizuka feel uneasy.

"So, they all drink your blood?" She tried to imagine how a small girl like Yui would have enough blood for six hungry vampires. Yui shook her head,

"No, only Ayato" she said, smiling a little. "The full moon night makes them feel...uneasy." Shizuka remembered that last night was a full moon, but she didn't know what that had to do with anything. "Their bloodlust is at it's highest during the full moon night". Shizuka propped herself against the chapel altar, trying to take all this in. Yui felt guilty for involving her in all this, she always thought it was best to keep it to herself. Considering that Shizuka saw them, there was really no denying that something was abnormal about them.

"Aren't vampires afraid of crucifixes, garlic and sunlight?" Shizuka asked, Yui laughed as if she was joking.

"I wondered the same thing myself" she said, "but no, it has no effect on them". Yui was clutching the rosary inside her pocket. "It this place only makes them feel uncomfortable, but it doesn't hurt them."

Suddenly, a voice groaned "we aren't as easy to kill as humans like yourself". They both looked up in surprise to find that Shuu had appeared, lying on the floor.

"I thought you said they didn't like this place" Shizuka snapped in surprise.

"We don't, but no one comes in here often so I find this place is usually quiet" he mumbled. "That is until someone comes in and starts talking. So, after all that do you still believe I'm any different from my brothers?". Yui looked at her in complete confusion, Shizuka stood her ground and didn't dare run away. Whether it was an act of bravery or fear she didn't know.

"Shuu, please don't tell anyone else she's here" Yui begged, trying to stand protectively between him and Shizuka.

"Too troublesome," he mumbled "that doesn't change the fact that she's a fool to come here". In an instant Shuu was at Shizuka's side and he grabbed her by the wrist. She froze feeling his breath on her arm as he held it up to his nose. His hands were cold, just like Raito's hands were when he grabbed her. "At least she's a fool with fine quality blood" he murmured. Before anyone could stop him, his fangs sank into her arm. Yui tried to stop him, but her pleas fell on deaf ears. Shizuka yelped at the pain as she felt the blood being drained from her arm. After a long painful moment her released her, only to pull her closer. Yui looked on in horror as Shuu bit down into her neck, Shizuka cried out trying to endure the pain. She felt his breath on her neck as he drank her blood, he savored the taste even more now. Now she was no different from a zebra getting eaten by a lion. "I told you to stay away didn't I?" He said, looking at her intently with his dark blue eyes. He leaned closer to whisper in her ear ,"but you came running towards me anyways.". As Shuu bit her neck again, she began to feel faint. Shuu drank more and more of her blood, until she began to feel faint.

"This is how I'm going to die" She thought, "I'm going to die at the hands of a creature that I thought only existed in stories." Shizuka felt Shuu release her, and set her down on the floor. Her vision was too blurry to make out anything she saw.

"See to it that the others don't find her here" , were the last words she heard before passing out.

When she opened her eyes again, everything seemed to be a blur. She heard the sound of voices talking and whispering to each other.

"Why did you even bring her here?"

"I had no choice, she saw what happened that day. You aren't going to tell Reiji are you?"

"I don't care enough to tell him, I just don't know what she sees in someone like Shuu.". Shizuka clenched her fist at the words, the other person seemed to have noticed this. "Oi! Breastless, she's woken up." At least she wasn't dead, well she hoped she wasn't dead anyways. Shizuka's vision came into focus and she looked around the room. She was lying on a bed with pink sheets and a pink canopy above her.

"Where am I?" Shizuka mumbled, looking up at the ceiling.

"Breastless' room" Shizuka recognized that voice and immediately sat up.

"What did you do? How did I get here? And what kind of guy gives that nickname to his girlfriend?" Shizuka yelled.

"She always asks so many questions," Ayato muttered to himself.

"You passed out on the floor, Ayato helped carry you here." Yui said, trying to calm her down.

"Also her name is too hard to remember anyways, 'breastless' just kinda stuck." Ayato added, answering her last question. Shizuka tried to get to her feet, stumbling as she tried. "Stubborn girl," Ayato remarked as she tried to reach the door. "Good luck getting out of here without anyone noticing. I doubt the others would let you leave this place in one piece."

"So I have to stay here for the rest of my life?" Shizuka asked, Ayato didn't answer her. He took the carton of cranberry juice on Yui's bedside table and handed it to her.

"No sense trying to run away, it won't take the others long to figure out there's another human living here." He told her, when leaving Shizuka to come to the realization that she was now their prey. To these monsters she was merely food, nothing less and certainly nothing more. Shizuka went into the bathroom to clean herself up, when she saw it in the mirror. The fang marks on her arm and on her neck, when she tried to touch them they hurt. Most people you break down and hope that this was all a bad dream. This felt nothing like a dream, it was far more frightening and excruciating than any dream she'd ever known.


	5. Chapter 5

Two years ago it happened, almost three in a few months time. Shizuka still remembered the fire engulfing the house she lived in with her parents. She remembered the fear, the panic as she literally watched the world around her fall apart. She had come home from school that afternoon, and could only stare in shock as the house she grew up in burned. The red gold flames feasting on the cool stone bricks, she wanted to charge in and help her parents trapped inside. She felt she should have tried to help them, if she died trying than so be it. It was better than the cold, lonely days that followed the accident. The neighbors called the fire department of course, but it was all too late. Her aunt had also been called to the scene of the accident. As Shizuka watched her break down in tears she knew she was thinking the same thing. Her house was to the point of no return, and her parent's bodies were almost unrecognizable. A private funeral was arranged shortly afterwards, Shizuka could only watch in a hopeless silence. As she watched their coffins were being lowered into the ground, to the tune of weeping and grieving relatives. Her aunt had been the one looking after her since the accident, she was the one who made her presentable for the funeral. Her messy, coffee brown hair was pulled back into a tight bun, while she wore a simple black dress, with black tights and shoes. Her brown eyes fighting back tears in front of her relatives, even though the people behind her were sobbing uncontrollably. She to be strong today she thought, be a big girl and put on a brave face. She was the lucky one, the miracle, the survivor, even though right now all she felt was alone. Shortly after her parent's furneral, her aunt met with her father's lawyer about his will. He set aside some money for Shizuka which she will receive until she is 21, as well as dividing his small fortune among his other family members. By the time she was 16, her aunt thought it would be best if she moved away. Not that she didn't enjoy having Shizuka around, but she felt that a change of scenery and a fresh start would be good for her. Her aunt arranged for her to go to the prestigious night school in that town, and live in an apartment close by. Shizuka didn't know what to expect when she moved here, she certainly didn't expect to encounter a family of vampires.

There was a knock on the bathroom door, "Shizuka, breakfast will be ready in a few minutes" Yui called.

"Yeah, I'll be downstairs in a moment." Since they know she's here, there's no sense hiding in the bathroom. She opened the door to walk out of the bathroom, only to find the tall bespectacled brother glaring down at her. "Well, the bathroom's free your highness" she muttered as she walked out, trying to avoid his gaze. She adjusted the uniform that Yui had lent her, she wasn't fat but she wasn't as petite as Yui ether. The uniform felt a couple of sizes too tight, she'd been unable to leave the mansion since what happened yesterday. Reiji placed a hand on her shoulder, not a soft, comforting hand. A hard grip indicating that he wasn't going to just let her walk away and ignore him.

"You come into this house uninvited, and judging by the marks on your body it seems you intend to stay". He snarled, "and you have the audacity to address me in this manner".

"Yui told me to come here, so I was invited" which was true, except that wasn't the answer he wanted.

"Yui belongs to Ayato, as his prey do you really believe she has any status in this house? As for you, you now belong to that good-for-nothing deadbeat." He growled, his dark eyes once again glaring at her through his glasses. His hand was gripping Shizuka so tightly it felt like it would break the shoulder he was holding on to. She winced, once again trying to endure the pain that she was in. "And just so you know, I'd prefer to be addressed as Reiji. Now hurry up and get dressed, the limousine will be here soon." He hissed. He released his grip on her and walked away, while Shizuka was left kneeling on the floor. A hand reached up to rub her sore shoulder, she felt the tender bite marks on her neck. As she slowly rose to her feet to go downstairs, she had a feeling she was only getting a small taste of what was to come.

Moments later, Shizuka was sitting in the limousine with all of them. She'd come downstairs late for breakfast, all that was left was some jam and toast. Even for such a small morsel she didn't feel like eating anything right now. Her stomach would probably start growling in protest, but eating food in front of things that saw you the same way was unpleasant. "You now belong to my good-for-nothing brother", her fists clenched in anger at the thought. Firstly at least Shuu wasn't high and mighty like Reiji, and secondly she didn't belong to anyone. As she sat in the limousine, Shizuka noticed that none of them said a word to each other. Shuu was asleep and listening to his music, Reiji was reading a book, and as usual Kanato was fixated with his teddy bear. Shizuka sat awkwardly between Shuu, and a boy with light pink hair. The other boy scowled as he looked out the car window, glaring into the distance. Shizuka kept her head down, thinking it would be a bad idea to break the awkward silence in the car. She knew they kept to themselves, but she assumed they just didn't talk to other people at school. It seemed they didn't say much to each other, she wondered why that was.

As the limousine arrived at the school, she saw Hayate and Ran waiting by the gates. They only briefly turned their attention to the limousine, but their eyes widened in surprise when they saw her inside. She didn't want to go out there, staying cooped up in the mansion seemed like a better idea. Still, she followed behind them as she filed out of the car. Shizuka tried to avoid their gaze, but she would have to face them in class sooner or later. Yui looked over at Shizuka apologetically as Ayato towed her away. As the brothers drifted away from each other her phone vibrated in her pocket. A message from Ran written in black and white print glared up at her. 'Meet me in the bathroom before class.', Shizuka knew which bathroom. She also knew that this meant Ran was going to interrogate her with endless questions, given what happened this morning.

At this moment the bathroom felt like a clinical horror story. with its pale blue tiled floor, white porcelain sinks, pale blue cubicle doors and white tiled walls. There was a moment of silence before the bathroom door opened. Ran walked in, closing the door behind her. She checked the cubicles to make sure they wouldn't be overheard. Shizuka stood there worried, unsure if Ran was curious, confused or angry. Shizuka didn't know how to make sense of the situation, let alone explain it to Ran. Ran's amber eyes looked into Shizuka's brown ones, expecting some kind of explanation. "So you and the Sakamaki brothers..." Ran began, calmly. Shizuka still wasn't sure if she was curious or angry.

"Yeah it all happened so fast, I guess I never got around to telling you." She said, leaving out many of the unpleasant details.

"I mean it's no secret that they are all gorgeous but..." Ran began, Shizuka could not work out why she was gripping the edge of the sink so tightly. "I'm just a little confused, I mean they aren't the most friendly people to be around. How did you meet them anyways?".

"In the first few months I came here," Shizuka answered. When she first came here she'd met Ayato and Kanato. Raito was in another class, and had developed a reputation for being a pervert. The other brothers were in different year groups, she never bothered to get acquainted with them. One day she'd heard a couple of girls in their class gossiping about someone.

"I head he's called the master of the music room" one girl whispered.

"He stays in there all the time instead of going to class" the other replied. At the time, Shizuka brushed it off as a silly rumor about someone. Surely other students skipped class by hiding in the toilets or the library. However, when she walked past the music room that same day, that was when she saw him. Sitting back in one of the chairs and playing the violin, he seemed completely at ease. He handled the violin ever so gently, lost in the music that he himself was playing. It felt calming and relaxing to listen to it, she pressed her ear against the door so that she could listen. Since then, she visited to the outside of the music room every so often. Sometimes he would just be fast asleep on the floor. Of course she couldn't tell anyone about these visits. For one thing people would think she was a stalker, another thing was she couldn't bring herself to admit it. That she was following a gorgeous boy around like a lost puppy, many people would call it pathetic.

The one time Shizuka did see him outside the music room, she accidentally bumped into him outside school. She was about to apologize when he stared down at her, he didn't seem bothered by the fact that she had bumped into him. Wordlessly she looked away blushing, her mouth trying to utter a coherent apology or at least a greeting. When a voice called "Oi Shuu! The tableware otaku doesn't like to be kept waiting", Shizuka looked over to see Ayato calling him. Shuu wordlessly but reluctantly obeyed as he walked over to the car with his brothers.

"So he's one of them" she thought, unable to see the resemblance between them. It was clear to anyone that they were nothing alike. This is what she thought all this time, that he was different from them. He still was, wasn't he?

"Shizuka," Ran said pulling her from her thoughts, Shizuka found herself unable to give Ran an answer. She was a good friend to her, so was Hayate. She was unwilling to admit she liked a boy who until recently barely paid any attention to her. The whole thing would just seem out of character to them. She sure as hell wasn't going to tell Ran or Hayate about what happened in the Sakamaki mansion. She pulled her hair to one side, trying to hide the bite marks on her neck.

"It's a long story" was all she could say, "we better be going to class now, I'll tell you more later." Ran nodded, and followed her out of the bathroom.


	6. Chapter 6

With Hayate sitting next to her and Ran sitting in front of her, Shizuka continued to hide the bite marks with her hair. Had it not been for her hair being in a side ponytail, they could clearly see the marks. Kanato stared at her from his usually seat by the window, she desperately tried to avoid his gaze. She could vaguely hear him whispering something to his teddy bear, she didn't dare try to make out what he was saying. As Reiji told her, she belonged to Shuu, but that didn't mean the others wouldn't try to take a bite. She looked over at Hayate, who looked frighteningly worried for her. Hayate was like an overprotective older brother to her, there was no way in hell she could confide in him what happened to her. Much like Ran, he was going to confront her about it sooner or later. Shizuka continued to look down at her desk, avoiding eye contact with anyone. Only occasionally looking up at the clock, counting down the minutes until class would end. Shizuka looked down at her fists, balled up in her lap. She wanted this lesson to end, so that she could run far far away. When she heard the words 'class dismissed', she got up from her chair and went to the door. That was before someone placed a hand on her shoulder, she looked up. "Hey, can we talk?" Hayate asked her, his face was calm but Shizuka knew what he was going to say.

"What is there to talk about?" Shizuka asked, looking around for some kind of escape route.

"Why you are suddenly coming to school with the Sakamaki brothers?" Hayate asked, this is the exact conversation she'd been dreading the entire time.

"They're not as bad as you think." Shizuka snapped, with more confident that she felt at the moment "not all of them".

"That still doesn't answer my question" his eyes narrowing in confusion.

"Maybe the answer is it's none of your business" Shizuka replied, doing all she could to avoid him. He wouldn't understand her if she told him what happened. She searched her mind for an excuse to get away, as much as she didn't want to push him away she had no choice. Also if she stood there for too long he might see the fang marks she was trying to hide. A whispered to her before Hayate could say anything else.

"We should be going now, Reiji won't be happy if we come home late." Shizuka whipped around to see Yui behind her. Ayato waited impatiently by the door, she smiled apologetically at Hayate before walking away with them. Ayato once again had his arm around Yui's waist before he asked,

"What did he want?" more out of curiosity than concern.

"Nothing." she said, Ayato wasn't going to waste time prying the story out of her, "It was nothing important" . They walked in silence towards the entrance of the school, they saw Reiji and the pink haired brother waiting for them.

"Subaru, Ayato, any idea as to where Shuu might be?" He asked, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"Better go find him before tableware otaku loses it" Ayato muttered to Shizuka

"I heard that" Reiji snapped, Shizuka slowly backed away and went to find Shuu. Starting with the most obvious place to look for him, they don't call him 'the master of the music room' for nothing. She made her way to the music room, hoping that this time she wouldn't run into Raito. Sure enough he was there, sleeping peacefully on the floor. Shizuka stared at him for a long moment, before she opened the door and stepped inside the music room. Shuu didn't seem to notice her presence as he continued to sleep quietly on the floor. As usual, his headphones were plugged in and Shizuka wondered what kind of music he listened to. Whatever it was, it was lulling him into a deep peaceful sleep. Shizuka bent down in front of the sleeping figure before her, he looked so peaceful that she was reluctant to wake him up. At the same time, she didn't want to have to deal with Reiji if she took too long to wake him up. She slowly extended her hand, gently reaching for his shoulder. A gentle nudge might not work on a heavy sleeper like Shuu, but it was worth a try. Her hand was inching closely to Shuu as he lay there like corpse, the kind that was frozen in eternal youth and beauty. The kind of corpse that up until a couple of days ago, she thought only existed in books and films. Locked away in the world of make-believe where they couldn't hurt anyone, or cause anyone pain. She suddenly felt something cold latching on to her wrist, Shizuka saw Shuu's hand wrapped around her wrist.

"Reiji wanted me to come get you" Shizuka said, she held on the Shuu's wrist and tried to pull him up. Shizuka knew she didn't have the strength of a body builder, but she might as well have tried to lift a marble statue. Shuu could only look on in mild amusement as she tried to lift him off the ground. The idea of staying with Shuu in the music room sounded nice, but Shizuka wanted to avoid another confrontation with Reiji. Her heart thundered loudly in her chest as Shuu stared up at her, he still hadn't let go of her hand.

"Interesting", he muttered "Even after what happened, you're still unafraid of me?". Shizuka didn't know the answer to that herself, normally other people had a way of reading her. "After all, why else would you have the nerve to apporach me so boldy now?", Shuu began to sit up "I'll go with you on one condition...". Shizuka bit her lip as he brought her arm to his nose, anyone could immediately tell what he was asking for. She tried to pull her hand away but Shuu was surprisingly strong for someone so lazy.

"Not here," she screeched, "what if someone sees us?"

"A vampire is about to bite into your arm and drink your blood, and you're worried about being seen?" He asked, chuckling darkly. He opened his mouth and she felt his cold, icy breath on her arm. She watched once more as his fangs sank into her arm, she felt a sharp pain and tried to suppress her whimpering. Her arm began to feel numb as Shuu began to drink from it, she couldn't tell if he was going to spare her once more or kill her.. Eventually he released her, running his tongue along her arm so as not to waste the blood trickling down her arm.

"Is that all?" she asked timidly, if he'd had his fill than they could go. That seemed to be the deal right? However, Shuu suddenly pulled on her arm and she fell over on top of him. Seeing that the other side of Shizuka's neck was untouched, he leaned in closer whispering in her ear "Perhaps you're a pervert who wants to be found here,". His head moved closer to the untouched side of her throat, Shizuka began to feel lightheaded as he drank more of her blood. She could hear him groaning as he savored the taste of her blood. "Your face tells me you aren't afraid, but I can taste the bitterness of fear in your blood", Shuu remarked as he released his fangs. "So where would you want me to bite you next?" he asked, Shizuka didn't know how to answer that. Anyone else would have taken this opportunity to run, but she trusted Shuu. She didn't know why but she trusted him more than she trusted his brothers. She slowly shrugged off her school blazer, and her hands shook as they reached for her bow tie. "Are you afraid of me now?" he asked mockingly, eventually she slipped off her bow tie and unbuttoned the first few buttons on her shirt. She tugged at the collar to one side, exposing her shoulder. Shuu's fingers delicately traced her pink bra strap, waiting for an answer. Shizuka was too stunned to speak, she could barely believe what was happening to her right now. "Because you should be very afraid" , he whispered horsely before biting into her chest. She was sure he could literally feel her heart racing right now, at the same time she felt her whole body becoming numb. With each bite her body began to feel weightless and she felt her own body sinking into Shuu's. She could faintly hear the distant sound of a piano coming from Shuu's MP3 player. Softly threatening to lull her into passing out once again. Suddenly, She heard a voice in the doorway and ripped away from Shuu's fangs, wincing at the pain.

"Despicable" the voice scoffed, she looked up to see Reiji and Raito standing in the doorway. "I beileve you were given instructions to find Shuu, not...feed him" he said eyeing Shizuka's blazer and ribbon on the floor, as well as the excess blood seeping through her shirt. . "The limousine is already here, don't keep it waiting any longer", he said before disappearing.

"Don't forget to take your little whore with you Shuu" he remarked winking at Shizuka, got up ready to lunge for him. He laughed when he noticed how unsteadily she stood up. "Too anemic to fight me you little whore?" he taunted, laughing at how furious she looked "I'd be fun to see you try". He appeared behind her, grabbing her by the shoulders "go on, fight me if you dare little whore".

"Get lost you pervert" Shuu growled, still lying on the floor "go bother your idiot brother instead". 'Your idiot brother?' Shizuka thought, slightly overanalyzing what he said. Weren't they all brothers?

"But Ayato already has his little bitch, and it's been so long since we had a pretty girl living in our house" Raito said as he brushed his fingers against Shizuka's cheek.

"I wonder why?" Shizuka asked sarcastically, swatting Raito's hand away with as much strength as she could muster.

"Since we don't want to keep Reiji waiting any longer" he said, with a dark look in his eyes "I'm going to pretend that didn't happen". He vanished, and Shuu slowly got to his feet.

He quietly walked out the room, with Shizuka trailing behind him. As they walked down the hall, they could see that most of the students had already gone home. With only the occasionally person cleaning up their classroom or reading a book in the library. Shuu continued to listen to his music as they walked in silence towards the exit. The only sounds she could hear were their feet walking along the empty corridors. She tried to break the awkward silence between them,

"Shuu, isn't Ayato also your brother?" Shizuka asked, it broke the silence but didn't make it any less awkward.

"What kind of question is that? You're interrupting my music" he said  
"I mean when you were talking to Raito, you made it sound like..." she was figuring out how else to put this. "as though you and Ayato weren't as close". Shuu didn't respond, Shizuka was wondering if she was crossing a line that shouldn't be crossed. "I don't mean to pry, I just thought it was odd thats all." she hastily added.

"You're an observant human, I'll give you that much" he remarked, "while it's true we are all brothers, some of us have different mothers".

"I see" she said, taking this in.

"Our father was married three times, the first time to Ayato, Kanato and Raito's mother. The second time to my mother and Reiji's, and the third time to Subaru's" he explained. They didn't say another word to each other as they left the school and walked towards the limousine parked outside. Just like this morning, nobody said a word to each other as the car drove back to the mansion.


	7. Chapter 7

Since she couldn't leave the Sakamaki mansion (except to go to school), Shizuka had taken one of the many spare bedrooms. This place looked like it was built to house an entire clan, if what Shuu said was true than she'd be right. Her things had been arranged to be brought from her apartment to the mansion. It wasn't as if she could go back there now, seeing as she'd been ordered to stay here or be killed. "By a certain bespectacled vampire" she thought bitterly. The impression she originally had of Reiji didn't do him any justice. The Reiji she'd seen at school looked tame in comparison to the one that lived in this vast mansion. It had been two weeks since Shizuka first set foot in this mansion, she wasn't quite sure if she regretted coming here. Shizuka sat on the bed staring at the bedroom door, hoping that no one would come through it. It was hopeless however, knowing that they could appear and disappear whenever and wherever they please. There was a loud knock on the door, Shizuka flinched at the sound before the door slowly opened. Leaning against the doorway the youngest brother, Subaru scowled at her impatiently. "Reiji wants you to come downstairs" he said sternly, "for the monthly family dinner".

"Dinner?" she repeated, "are you expecting me to let you lead me there?" Shizuka asked. 'Dinner', or food in general meant blood, human blood….her blood. "Was Shuu going to drink my blood in front of everyone else?", she thought as a blush creeped up her cheeks at the idea. He'd done that in front of Reiji and Raito already, Reiji looked furious while Raito looked like he enjoyed it a little too much. "Was everyone else going to drink my blood?" she thought, "probably". Shizuka looked up at Subaru, his hands were balled up into tight fists ready to lash out at something.

"Are you coming or what?" he snarled, his red eyes glaring at her. "It's not as if I enjoy sitting with them eating human food", he snapped. Shizuka sighed with relief, so she herself wasn't the main course after all. She steadily stood up and followed Subaru out of the room. In the past, she'd only seen him around school. He was in the year below so she didn't know him very well, at school he was often found sleeping in the library. She walked down the dark hallway with him in silence, they didn't say a single word to each other as they walked. He would occasionally turn his head and scowl at her. He led her to the dining hall, where the other brothers gathered around a long table. Yui sat across from Ayato, she smiled when she noticed Shizuka come into the room. Shizuka took the empty seat between Shuu and Reiji, Shuu had opened one blue eye to see that she arrived. Reiji pushed his glasses up his nose, and began to eat the food in front of him. Shizuka looked down as her own food, she felt a hunger pang as she looked at the many dishes before her. It was a shame that there was the usual awkward silence in the air. She looked around the table, Ayato, Yui and Subaru eat in silence while Kanato began to help himself to the slice of cake. Raito was staring at her from where he sat as he eat, wearing his usual lecherous smirk.

Next to her Reiji muttered "it's extremely impolite to leave your food untouched". Shizuka looked over at Shuu, who had only taken a few bites of his food. A smirk of her own began to appear on her face, it was a foolish idea and any sensible person would be horrified at the thought of it. Right now, anything was better than sitting quietly and obediently, taking small demure bites and sips of her food and drink. Her hands reached for her knife and fork, violently cutting a large chunk of the stake in front of her. Reiji was startled by her actions, his cutlery froze in place as his eyes observed her. Her was piercing into the large chunk of rich meat, which would barely fit inside her mouth. She smiled a mischievous, defiant smile up at Reiji before she proceeded to stuff the whole piece of meat into her mouth. She chewed loudly with her mouth open, watching Reiji's eyes widen in horror. Ayato and Raito erupted into laughter, seeing their uptight half brother look like he was about to throw a fit. Yui's eyes widened in shock as well, not out of anger but out of fear. In the time she spent at the mansion she had gotten to know and fear the other brothers. She herself wouldn't dare consider behaving that way in front of Reiji. Reiji tried not to cause a scene as Shizuka stuffed mouthful after mouthful of food into her mouth. She only stopped once for a drink, reaching for the glass of red wine in front of her. She quickly drank the dark red liquid as if she were a child drinking juice. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Shuu with an amused smirk as he watched her. Her bare hand reached for the slice of cake, sinking her fingers into the cream and the soft sponge underneath.

A moment ago, Reiji's eyes were wide with horrified astonishment. Now they were narrowed as he stared her down as if to say "don't you dare". She pulled the chunk of cake from her plate and stuffed it into her mouth with her hand. After she was done demolishing the slice of cake, she licked the excess icing off her fingers. With that she pulled out her chair, stood up and walked confidently out of the dining hall. Her stomach ached from the sudden rush of food into her body as she walked back to her room, but the look of absolute horror on Reiji's face was worth it. Shizuka wasn't strong enough to fight any of them, but she wasn't going to completely submit to them. However, her good mood died almost instantly when she opened the door to find Reiji sitting in the corner of the room. He sat in the armchair at the corner of the room, sipping a cup of tea as he held the saucer in his gloved hand. He didn't bother looking up at her when she came inside, "just who exactly do you think you are?" he asked sternly.

"I'll tell you what I'm not..." Shizuka answered as she learned against the wall. "I'm not your doll, I'm not your pet, I'm not a servant who takes orders from you!", despite her yelling Reiji seemed unfazed. That was until he finished drinking his tea and set the cup and saucer down on the bedside table. In the blink of an eye he was right in front of her, boxing her in with his face mere inches from hers.

Reiji's left hand held Shizuka's chin to make him look at her, while his right hand was pressed against the wall. Shizuka stared directly into his eyes, trying as hard as she could to look brave. In his eyes she saw anger and possibly hunger too, it was clear human food wouldn't satisfy their appetites. "That is correct, you would be less troublesome if you were any of those things", Reiji's hand slowly moved from her chin to her throat. "Instead, what you are is a high maintenance harlot who is fond of that spineless, good for nothing, deadbeat" he hissed furiously. Slowly but surely his grip on her throat was becoming tighter, "I never understood his fascination with mortals" he mused. Shizuka struggled and fought against his grip, her eyes trying their best to maintain their defiant glare. "Creatures who serve no other purpose other than to satisfy my hunger, nothing more" he whispered. Shizuka kicked at him, but if had no effect. He didn't seem to enjoy it the way Raito did, but he was unfazed by it. Shizuka didn't cry or scream, even though many people would think she would be foolish for doing so. For one thing, it was difficult to do so when you are doing everything you can to focus on breathing. Another thing was that no one would hear her, no one would come for her. Shizuka violently spat in his face in anger as she continued to fight her. Reiji was furious now as he slammed Shizuka's head against the wall behind her. She fought even harder to keep to keep from crying out in pain, her shallow breaths replacing the screams. Suddenly Reiji released her, watching as she fell on her knees to the floor.

"Aren't you going to kill me?" she coughed, although secretly relieved he didn't.

"Make no mistake I will" He said, "but not before I hear your melodic screams of pain and agony. Do not think me so kind to put an end to you so quickly, so easily. I will break you and watch as you shatter before my very eyes". Shizuka fought to breath evenly, to compose herself, make it seem like his threats didn't frighten her. "If I were you, it would be wise for you to learn your place here" he said as he vanished. Leaving Shizuka kneeling on the floor, too shocked, too stunned to get up. That was a side of Reiji that she had never seen, and it terrified her more than the strict, arrogant person she believed him to be. She tried to get up, clutching the doorframe for support. Her hands and legs shook as she tried, she wanted to cry or scream for help...but she couldn't. She couldn't give them the satisfaction of watching her suffer. She searched through her things to find some clothes, a towel, and some toiletries. Shizuka hoped a warm bath would calm her, she was also worried that the others would spy on her.

She gathered her things before walking towards the bathroom, she looked around her to make sure no one was watching her. She stepped inside, and locked the door in hopes of keeping them out. Although after she locked the door, she quickly realized she wasn't alone. Not because someone was spying on her, but because someone was already having a bath. That someone was Shuu, who for some odd reason was bathing fully clothed and listening to music. That didn't stop her cheeks feeling hot as she tried to look away.

He opened one eye to look at her standing in the bathroom doorway. "Were you expecting to see me naked?" he asked her ,Shizuka didn't answer as she tried to look at her bare feet on the clean tiled floor. "You are brave enough to display appalling table manners in front of Reiji, and yet you shy away from a simple question?", she heard a soft chuckle at the mention of it. "Such a strange human indeed" he mused, still staring at her.

Shizuka tried to change the subject, "I don't usually expect to see anyone bathing fully clothed" she said. Taking small steps as she crossed the space between them. "Aren't you going to catch a cold?" she asked him, he only shook his head in response. He opened his eyes to look at her, Shizuka could only stare back at him as his deep blue eyes held hers.

"Do you want to join me?" he asked, a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. Shizuka felt like her heart threatened to burst through her ribs, the memory of what happened in the music room clear in her mind. Shuu was the only one who didn't frighten her, no matter how he tried to convince her otherwise. She dipped her fingers into the bath water, it felt cold but not unbearable.

"I-I shouldn't" Shizuka stammered, trying to look away from him. She could still feel his gaze burning into her skin.

"That still doesn't answer my question" he said, Shizuka's hand rippled through the bath water as she contemplated what she would do next.

"I should probably help you out of there" she said, reaching out to take his arm. A voice inside her head kept screaming at her, telling her to walk away now. Over time, that voice became quieter, until it was barely a whisper. She tried to hoist him out the of the bathtub. even though she was only a few inches shorter, he was still heavy to carry. With one arm over her shoulder, she practically dragged him to his room down the hall. When she opened the door, she set him down on the bed. His wet clothes had dampened hers, as well as the bed sheets. Shuu looked annoyed as she had pulled him from a perfectly good sleep. She was about to go over to the wardrobe to get a dry change of clothes, when Shuu suddenly reached out and pulled her down next to him. In that moment, Shizuka had to remember how to breath as she stared in the his deep blue eyes.

"If you're going to awaken me, then make it worth my time" he growled, Shizuka's heartbeat thundered painfully as she leaned in to kiss him. She felt his hand around the back of her neck, pulling her close. After what seemed like an hour, she pulled away to unbutton her blouse and remove her ribbon. She brushed her shirt lapels to away, until it hung off her body like a shawl. Shuu leaned in, piercing her neck with his fangs. Shizuka felt the sharp pain of his fangs, and his colds hands holding on to her. Her own hands balled up into fists as she held on to the bedsheets. As he released her chuckled darkly "you still don't understand, do you? How long can you go on acting as if this doesn't frighten you?". In an instant Shizuka was pushed onto her front, she felt Shuu's breath on her back and he bit into her shoulder. "No matter how you try to hide, I can always taste the bitterness of fear in your blood", Shizuka felt him smiling against her back. He moaned as he savored the taste of her blood, tasting her fears and desires as he drank.

"I'm not afraid, I trust him, he wouldn't want to kill me" she protested in her mind, until a voice said in her mind tried to warn her "except he wants you to fear him, he wants to break you until you are nothing more than a doll". Shuu's scent filled her nostrils, as she buried her face in the pillow, inhaling into the fabric which Shuu rested his blonde head on day after day. She heard the rattle of drawers on the bedside table as Shuu reached for something. Shizuka was about to look up to see what it was, until she felt cold metal against her skin. She heard the sound of fabric being torn, she shuddered as the blade touched the skin on her thigh.

Shizuka felt his fingers trailing against the soft, pink, lace fabric of her underwear. "Such innocent underwear for someone so bold" he remarked, as he turned her on to her back. Shuu lifted one of her legs onto his shoulder, his nose inhaling the scent of leg blood coursing through her calf. As he sank his fangs into her skin, the sharp pain served as a reminder that this wasn't a dream. In time she came to enjoy the sensation it gave her, the way her body felt weightless yet alive.

Shizuka felt the knife tear through her underwear as she lay there, exposed, vulnerable, with nothing to hide and nothing to fear. Her eyes glazed over with lust as she stared up at him, never daring to look away from him. Bite after bite and kiss after kiss marked her body, branding her and serving as a reminder of this night. This night in which she had become intertwined with him, he became a part of her as she became a part of him. The world around them seemed to drift away as she felt his icy, cold skin against hers. as they lost themselves in each other's bodies, Shizuka had given him her heart, body, and soul.


End file.
